Back To Being Human
by carolinewaldorf
Summary: The gang in Mystic Falls has all been cured and are now adjusting to being human again. If that wasn't stressful enough, their whole life is being filmed for a reality television show titled "The Vampire Diaries." In the span of just a few weeks, everything will change. No one is safe from the public eye, but the ones that they will truly hurt are each other. (Multi-ship)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is the first of many installments in my fic "Back To Being Human". I've set the fic in an alternate universe, so there are some small differences. Klaus and his siblings were just normal vampires that grew up in Mystic Falls with the rest of the gang, and Klaus was never a hybrid. Katherine is Elena's twin and doppelgangers do not exist. Katherine has no present ties to Stefan or Damon. The Mikaelsons are a bit older than the rest of the gang and they were turned five years ago. Katherine was turned by her adoptive parents before moving to Mystic Falls to find Elena and her birth parents. Stefan, Damon, Elena, and Caroline were all turned by the council so they could participate in an experiment to eradicate vampirism and the council ultimately found a way to cure them, and the Mikaelsons and Katherine were cured as well. More of their past will come out as the fic goes on, and if there's any confusion, leave me a review or shoot me a PM so that I can help clear it up or find a way to make sure that there's less confusion in the next chapter. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I am in now way associated with the novels or the television show _The Vampire Diaries._**

"My name is Caroline Forbes and I honestly have no idea what to say right now. It's been a surreal experience, being picked to be on this show. I sent in the video last year, before everything happened, and I had no idea that anything would come of it. I thought that maybe, at the most, someone in the casting department would get a kick out of how ridiculous we all are. I never thought that anyone would actually pick Mystic Falls to be the town to film in for an entire year. Now I'm constantly followed by cameras and everything seems like someone else's life."

Caroline sat in front of a camera in a dark room with a light shone directly on her face and sighed. A year ago, being the focus of a reality television show had been her biggest aspiration, but now it just seemed like a hassle. The world knew about vampires now, and she had brought the spotlight on herself and her friends. It seemed so trivial, with all that they'd been through. However, the voyeurs of the world wanted to know what it was like, how vampires adjusted to being humans again. She ran a hand through her hair before continuing.

"They told me to talk about myself, so I guess that I will. I just graduated from Mystic Falls High School a month ago and it's time for me to really start my life. I guess that's going to be a lot harder with thousands of people watching it unfold. Anyways, there isn't much to say. In high school, I was the typical queen bee. I was kind of a bitch. Head cheerleader, valedictorian, Miss Mystic Falls. Everyone knew who I was. But the real world doesn't care about who you were in high school."

She licked her lips and took a deep breath as she rambled on some more. "My best friend is named Stefan Salvatore. We've known each other for a long time now. He's been there for me through everything and I've tried to be there for him too. Stefan is easily the strongest person I know, and he's my rock. He keeps me sane, keeps me safe. Then there's my boyfriend, Klaus. Everyone knows who Klaus Mikaelson is. I mean, come on, he's a freaking billionaire. We've been together for a few months now. I kind of cheated on my last boyfriend, Matt, with him. It wasn't exactly my finest moment."

Her cheeks were starting to grow hot and she pressed her cold hands to her face, hoping that it would calm her down. She was almost finished. There was no turning back now. "Anyways, then there's my good friend, Elena. She and I met through cheerleading and I introduced her to Stefan. It was really an instant connection with them, but they ended up having some differences and their relationship couldn't take it. Now they barely speak to each other. But it's okay, because now she's really happy with Tyler, my ex-boyfriend. They've been hooking up for a while now and he's helped her through a lot, like her twin sister Katherine moving into town. Elena had no idea that Katherine even existed, and now suddenly she's just there and she wants to be friends. Katherine and I have gotten pretty close because she doesn't really know anyone else here, but Elena still doesn't really know what to say to her."

Caroline racked her brain for anything else that could possibly be important. The producers had informed her that she would be the only one doing a confessional this week, and that she had to set the stage for everyone else. It was terrifying, knowing that bringing in a bunch of viewers was going to be her responsibility, and she certainly didn't want to leave anyone out.

"Let's see…oh! Well, there's Stefan's brother, Damon. They don't really get along too well, but he's not a terrible guy. He's just lonely, I think. Misunderstood, mostly. He doesn't know too many people. He's still adjusting to his move back to town. Then there's Rebekah and Kol. They are Klaus's siblings and Rebekah is dating Stefan. I haven't met them yet, actually, but I'm really excited to get to know them. Klaus has two more siblings, Finn and Elijah, but they don't live in town. Last but not least, of course, is my friend Bonnie. She's really great and she and Elena and I have all known each other for ages."

Caroline cleared her throat and powered through the end of her monologue, just wanting the whole thing to be over. "Everyone on this show, with the exception of Matt, has a supernatural past. We were all vampires, except for Tyler, who is a werewolf, and Bonnie, who's a witch. My friends and I have all been "cured" by the council of Mystic Falls now. There is no cure for werewolves yet, because it's a genetic thing. So now it's just Tyler and Bonnie that have ties to the supernatural world. It's been a hard adjustment, but we're coping to being human again."

Caroline smiled softly, happy that the worst was over. She had told the world her story, and now all she had to do was live normally. No more setting the stage. No more question. Just living her life and letting everyone watch as it happened. She took a deep breath before looking back at the camera and delivering her final line.

"I'm Caroline Forbes, and this is The Vampire Diaries."


	2. Chapter 2

Waking up was a consistently terrifying experience these days. Caroline's nights were plagued with nightmares and her waking hours were haunted with horrible flashbacks from the "testing" the council had put her through when they were trying to find a cure to vampirism. Only Klaus's strong arm around her, pulling her closer to him, could keep her together at this point. He kept her grounded through the transformation back to be being human. She smiled as she allowed him to hold her tighter. "Your nightmares are getting better," Klaus murmured in the blonde's ear, kissing the back of her neck gently. "You only screamed loud enough to wake me up twice last night."

Caroline rolled her eyes at his bad attempt at a joke, not saying anything in response. He knew how much her nightmares tortured her, and he knew that she hated the fact that he had to deal with them every night. Yet he dutifully showed up, night after night, begging to save her from herself. And for some reason, she continued to let him. Having Klaus there meant that she was safe, at least for the night. "What are your plans today?" he purred and Caroline finally turned around to face him.

"Well, I told Stefan that I'd meet him for lunch, and we're spending the day together, I think. And tonight, there is a very important party that I need my boyfriend to accompany me to," she said, biting her lip.

"Mm, and what kind of party exactly, love? Don't tell me you're going to dress me up in the monkey suit again," he whined, propping himself up on his elbow so that he could look down at her. Caroline rolled her eyes, leaning up to kiss him, and he pushed her back down onto the bed. She felt herself starting to grow frustrated, missing the speed and strength that had once been the only way she could gain control of a situation like this. She moved to sit up again and Klaus once again pinned her to the mattress. She sighed and finally answered him.

"All you have to do is look presentable and bring your winning personality, darling," she said somewhat sarcastically, leaning forward again and was pleased when she found no resistance this time. Caroline got out of bed, changing clothing quickly while Klaus watched her from the sheets. She dressed simply, in a simple pair of jeans and a black top that complemented her fair skin. She pulled on a pair of red heels and then leaned down to kiss her boyfriend, only to find him pulling her on top of him.

"Are you quite sure that you have to leave?" he asked, his hands moving teasingly slow down her long legs. Caroline grinned, kissing him quickly once more and pulling away.

"I'm sorry, but I really do. I have to go meet Katherine at the library before lunch with Stefan. Your girl has a busy day," she said, walking towards the door of her bedroom.

"Well, tell the evil twin that I said hello. And tell Stefan that my sister is going to murder him if he keeps ignoring her phone calls," he said, leaning back into the pillows.

"It's just a fight," Caroline answered. "They'll be back on good terms in no time. You'll see."

"I guess we will," Klaus said, closing his eyes. "Have a good day, Caroline. I love you."

"I love you too, ya jerk," she said, smiling before walking out the door of her bedroom and into the kitchen. She grabbed an apple from the dish on the kitchen counter and continued walking out of the house.

The sunlight almost made her hiss as it hit her eyes and she quickly rummaged in her bag for a pair of sunglasses. One of the lasting effects of the cure was that some of the sensitivities she had picked up during her stint as a vampire had stayed with her. Sensitivity to light was one of them, and because of it, Caroline was never seen without a pair of sunglasses.

The blonde started her car and quickly drove to the center of town. Mystic Falls was one of those places where everyone knew everyone else and you could get just about anywhere in a matter of minutes. When she was a vampire, Caroline often hadn't bothered with her car, but now that she was human, those long walks home took a lot longer than they once had. Pulling into the library parking lot, she parked and checked her makeup before being startled by a sudden banging on the window.

Caroline let out a shriek, turning to glare at her friend when she saw Katherine through the glass. "Not funny," Caroline told the brunette as she got out of the car.

"Kind of funny," Katherine answered, taking a long drag off a cigarette. Caroline looked at the tobacco longingly and Katherine rolled her eyes, pulling out a pack and tossing it to the blonde. "Take one, blondie."

Caroline sent her a small smile in thanks, pulling a singular cigarette out of the pack and inhaling as Katherine held out the flame for her to light it with. She smiled happily at the feeling. Smoking had been one of the many vices that Caroline had picked up since her return to humanity. It helped with staying calm, and she had to stay calm if she wanted to avoid the flashbacks. She had been hit hardest by the torture that the group had gone through, and while the others had mostly recovered in the months following, Caroline was still struggling.

"Thank you for this," Caroline told Katherine as she took a long drag. "Klaus hates when I smoke and I know that he's going to find out eventually, but it's driving me a little insane having to hide it."

"What's _Stefan _think about it?" Katherine asked with a taunt, smiling wickedly.

Caroline gave the girl a look, not dignifying the question with a response other than, "Stefan and I are just friends, Kat."

Those words had been Caroline's constant mantra over the last few weeks. While the entire town knew that Caroline and Stefan had been friends since they were young, lately everyone was harassing them about the amount of time they spent together. Stefan thought it was hilarious, but Caroline had a jealous boyfriend that was less than amused by the rumors.

"Whatever you say, sweetie," Katherine answered in a voice that clearly said 'can you guys just bone already?' Silence fell between the duo for a second and then Katherine asked, "So when does this creeper tv show start filming our entire lives?"

Caroline sighed, annoyed at the memory that filming was actually going to happen and wasn't just a figment of her imagination. "Tonight at the mixer. I'm not looking forward to it, either."

"Why?" Katherine laughed, flicking the butt of her cigarette away. "It sounds like it's going to be a perfect disaster."

"Disaster being the key word," Caroline mused, flicking her own cigarette butt away and grabbing her bag from inside her car. "I'm just going to pretend it's not happening until I actually have to deal with it. Anyways, are you ready? We have work to do."

"Correction. You have work to do. I just came to annoy you and be the devil on your shoulder," Katherine teased, following the blonde inside the library.

"Well, you're doing very well so far," Caroline laughed, heading for the stacks of reference books towards the back of the building. "I have to find as much information about this stuff as possible before my every move starts being recorded."

"I don't see why it's so important that you do this now," Katherine said, pausing to wave flirtingly at someone before catching up with her friend. "It's not like you have to change back now. What's six months going to hurt?"

Caroline shrugged. "I guess I just want to know if it's even possible to be a vampire again after you've been cured," Caroline answered, her voice quiet so that no one around could hear. Being a vampire once had gotten her in enough trouble. She didn't need anyone other than her closest friends knowing that she was looking for a way to become a monster again. Not even Klaus knew at this point, and that was how Caroline was hoping it would stay for the time being.

Poring over book after book turned out to be a fruitless search and after three hours of nonstop reading, Caroline was banging her head against the table while Caroline patted her back in a gesture that was surely supposed to be soothing but served the complete opposite purpose.

"How is it that there's nothing in any of these?!" Caroline screeched, earning herself some dirty looks from neighboring tables.

"Maybe because it's never happened before, crazy," Katherine said, standing up. Caroline groaned and rested her forehead on the table until she felt Katherine tugging at her hand and she looked over at the brunette. "Come on, get up," Katherine urged her.

"I don't wanna," the blonde whined. "Just leave me here to die."

"And let Stefan eat all by himself? I don't think so. Move that cute little ass."

Caroline sighed and stood up, leaving the books scattered across the table and let Katherine drag her back out to the parking lot. After a lot of convincing, Caroline relented and allowed Katherine to tag along on her meeting with Stefan. The two drove in silence to the restaurant, and when Caroline parked, Katherine practically jumped out of the car. Caroline followed her into the restaurant, catching her just as she walked through the doors. "What the hell are you so excited about?" Caroline questioned.

"You see that guy over there?" Katherine boasted, pointing to a man at the bar with dark hair and blue eyes that could pierce through you if you looked at them too long. "I met him last night. I thought he might be back and I was right! I bet he's looking for me."

"That's Damon!" Caroline told her friend in an excited but hushed tone. "He's Stefan's brother. And the pictures really didn't do him justice. He really is cute."

"Tell me about it," Katherine said. "Okay, well, have fun on your date, tell Steffy that I said hi, and I will be over there seducing a man."

Caroline didn't even have time to respond before her friend was walking away and she sighed. "It's not a date," she said, more to herself than anyone else.

It was then that doors behind her swung open again and the only person in the world that could always make her smile walked through.

"Stefan!" Caroline squealed, pulling her best friend into a hug. He grinned, picking her up and spinning her around. Stefan held her tightly and when he finally set her down, he still held her in his arms. She smiled up at the man. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Cheery," he told her, putting a hand lightly on the small of her back to lead her to a table. She followed his lead and sat at one of the booths. This was a typical kind of gesture between the two of them. While most other people saw the way the interacted with each other as romantic, Stefan and Caroline knew that it was nothing like that. They had known each other for so long and so well that they simply gravitated around each other, as if by magnetic pull, and could instinctually read the movements of the other. It was a best friend thing, nothing more.

The only problem was that Klaus never saw it like that. Even now, he sat across the restaurant with Tyler, his best friend, and could hardly focus on the words that spilled forth from the other man. A jealousy was burning within him and he wasn't sure how much longer he could play the fool. That night at the mixer, he was going to have some words with the younger Salvatore brother. It would be a night to remember.


End file.
